PA - Schools spying on children through laptops. 1984.

[Irish]

Big Brother, 1984, Orwell would be proud... It may not be the same but it definitely runs along those lines. Follow the link for a poll on the subject.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/84715297.html?cmpid=15585797&submit=Vote&oid=3&mr=1&84722562=Y&cid=8500281&pid=84722562

Lower Merion School District officials brag that they give every one of their 1,800 high-schoolers laptop computers to "ensure that all students have 24/7 access to school-based resources."

Instead, they ensured they got a 24/7 sneak peek into students’ private lives by secretly monitoring webcams embedded in the laptops to spy on teens and their families at home, according to a federal, class-action lawsuit filed this week in Philadelphia.

The suit alleges the remotely controlled covert cameras violate everything from the Fourth Amendment to wiretapping, electronic communications and computer fraud laws.

It was filed Tuesday on behalf of Harriton High student Blake J. Robbins and all Lower Merion students by Robbins' parents Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley.

Named as defendants are the school district, the district's nine-member Board of Directors and Superintendent Christopher W. McGinley.

The Robbins seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as an end to the "spying," according to the 17-page complaint.

The family first learned of the embedded webcams on Nov. 11, when Harriton High's Assistant Principal Lindy Matsko reprimanded Blake Robbins for "improper behavior in his home," according to the lawsuit. Matsko cited as evidence a photograph from the webcam on the boy's school-issued laptop.

The lawsuit does not specify why the photograph was objectionable.

Because the webcam can capture anything happening in the room where the laptop is, district personnel could illicitly observe plenty more than a student's online activity, the lawsuit alleges.

"Many of the images captured and intercepted may consist of images of minors and their parents or friends in compromising or embarrassing positions, including, but not limited to, in various stages of dress or undress," the lawsuit charges.

The Robbins' attorney, Mark Haltzman, couldn't be reached this morning. McGinley and District Spokesman Doug Young did not immediately return telephone calls for comment today.

[Irish]

http://www.lmsd.org/sections/news/default.php?m=0&t=today&p=lmsd_anno&id=1138

Letter from Dr. McGinley to parents/guardians regarding laptop security
Dear LMSD Parents/Guardians,

Our history has been to go to great lengths to protect the privacy of our students, whether it comes to student health, academic or other records. In fact, many of you may remember the heated debate over whether to have security cameras monitor some of our food vending machines. Privacy is a basic right in our society and a matter we take very seriously. We believe that a good job can always be done better.

Recent publicity regarding the District's one-to-one high school laptop initiative, and questions about the security of student laptops prompted our administration to revisit security procedures.

Laptops are a frequent target for theft in schools and off school property. District laptops do contain a security feature intended to track lost, stolen and missing laptops. The security feature, which was disabled today, was installed to help locate a laptop in the event it was reported lost, missing or stolen so that the laptop could be returned to the student.

Upon a report of a suspected lost, stolen or missing laptop, the feature would be activated by the District's security and technology departments. The security feature's capabilities were limited to taking a still image of the operator and the operator's screen. This feature was only used for the narrow purpose of locating a lost, stolen or missing laptop. The District never activated the security feature for any other purpose or in any other manner whatsoever.

As a result of our preliminary review of security procedures today, I directed the following actions:

•Immediate disabling of the security-tracking program.
•A thorough review of the existing policies for student laptop use.
•A review of security procedures to help safeguard the protection of privacy, including a review of the instances in which the security software was activated. We want to ensure that any affected students and families are made aware of the outcome of laptop recovery investigations.
•A review of any other technology areas in which the intersection of privacy and security may come into play.
We are proud of the fact that we are a leader in providing laptops to every high school student as part of our instructional program. But we need to be equally as proud of the safeguards we have in place to protect the privacy of the users, as well as to safeguard district-owned property while being used by students.

We regret if this situation has caused any concern or inconvenience among our students and families. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at info@lmsd.org. Additional information has been posted on our website, www.lmsd.org.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Dr. Christopher W. McGinley
Superintendent of Schools
Lower Merion School District

[rickrock305]

insane.

[Belmont31R]

Wonder how many screen shots and video they got of naked girls?

[Irish]

Wonder how many screen shots and video they got of naked girls?

Probably countless many. Another article: http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2010/02/lower_merion_school_district_l.html

Officials at Lower Merion School District outside Philadelphia have a great deal of explaining to do. And it looks like they’ll do it in court.

A student at the school filed suit after he was called into the assistant principal’s office and reprimanded for "inappropriate behavior while at home."

How did school officials know what he was doing at home? They secretly installed spyware on student laptops, and snapped a photo of him without his knowledge, according to the student. He found out when they showed him the picture.

School officials are in a defensive crouch now, refusing to answer questions. They say they installed the software only to track missing laptops. But they won’t explain that photo, which indicates that they went considerably further. Parents are understandably furious.

"No government official, whether it’s police or school officials, can enter an individual’s home — whether electronically or personally — without a warrant," said Vick Volcheck of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "It’s completely beyond me to guess what these officials were thinking."

Such snooping is not just illegal, it’s downright creepy. Parents have no way of knowing if the cameras captured students and other family members as they undressed or in other highly private situations. Who in the school is monitoring these laptop cameras, and what else have they seen?

Lower Merion prides itself on its technology initiatives, including placing a tracking-security feature on laptops issued to all its 2,300 high school students.

Fine. But any kid who has studied the United States Constitution knows that we all have a right to privacy in our own homes. It’s shocking to think that educators who are supposed to teach them haven’t gotten that message.

[Belmont31R]

Probably countless many. Another article: http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2010/02/lower_merion_school_district_l.html





Man if I had a kid in that district, and they had been nude in front of that camera it would be all I could do to not go wring someone's neck.



What sane person would ever think this was a good idea? Aside from the creepiness factor its highly stupid.


I'd say I hope they get sued for millions but then it would just be tax payer dollars paying it. Thus they should face jail time. Everyone who authorized this, and the people monitoring the cameras.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Tar and Feathering - It never really goes out of style.


I'd fling the laptop at the principle at the next school meeting.

Congrats, you now have hundreds of tech savy teenagers, with a free pass from their parents, after you.

[John_Wayne777]

Ah yes...the logical conclusion of the progressive nanny state.

The taxpayers will be shelling out money to themselves for a significant judgment, methinks...

[Evil Colt 6920]

:eek:WOW I hope they end up behind bars for this.

[Spiffums]

Schools like to brag how they "give" stuff to kids.......... they need to remember that its not a gift if it's issued.

And this just has bad ending all over it. Think of the lawsuits about kiddie porn on the schools.

[Irish]

The FBI has now joined the investigation. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/84981697.html

The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI said today that they would investigate whether the Lower Merion School District activated webcams on the laptop computers that were issued to students.

"We intend to work as a team with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, the Montgomery County Detectives, and the Lower Merion Police Department to determine if any crimes were committed," U.S. Attorney Michael L. Levy said in a statement.

"The issues raised by these allegations are wide-ranging and involve the meeting of the new world of cyberspace with that of physical space. Our focus will only be on whether anyone committed any crimes."

A lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court accuses district officials of using a webcam on the school-issued laptop computer of a Harriton High School sophomore to spy on the boy and other students at their homes without warning.

Blake Robbins, 15, was confronted in November by an assistant principal who used a photo from the webcam to accuse the teen of engaging in "improper behavior" at home, says the lawsuit, brought by Robbins' parents.

The school district contends that the webcam devices were a security feature activated only on laptops that had been reported lost or stolen.

Federal law enforcement agencies typically don't confirm an investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in the release. The Department of Justice has an exception for matters that have received substantial publicity, or matters in which the department feels the need to reassure the community that law enforcement is investigating the incident, according to the statement.

Levy said that "very few facts are known" about the case and that "we do not intend to comment any further before our investigation is complete."

[Irish]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF8D1ORNXPo

[SeriousStudent]

That just flat-out boggles my mind.

I'm an IT geek, and a senior one at a very large organization. I spend almost as much time studying laws and regulations, as I do technology.

We have a legal department with over 100 lawyers, and a risk management department with Vishu knows how many more. I can't sneak out to the garage for a cigar, without three legal opinions on fire, smoke and ash hazards, respectively.

Where were the geeks in this???

"Oh, you bet, boss. I'll flip the switch on a potentially illegal system that could potentially send me to jail for child molestation, spying on underage girls..."

Sweet baby Jebus, this thing reeks...... Are they really that stupid??

[John_Wayne777]

Actually it's not at all surprising in a public organization. Mid to upper middle level positions are often occupied by people who have no clue about liability issues or the potential privacy/legality/morality issues attached to the use of various bits of technology. Combine a dysfunctional management culture where anyone who doesn't play ball gets steamrolled because the word "no" is never supposed to be spoken uphill, and the end result is exactly this kind of stupidity.

In my time in public organizations I've been told to drop an issue with fire code in a facility because, and I quote, "that's not our problem." It's a facility we run and maintain, but in the opinion of my superiors fire code wasn't something that should stand in the way of their little plan and me bringing it up was unacceptable because that's what the facilities people were supposed to deal with.

Inside public organizations sanity checks often don't happen when somebody with some internal power gets on a snit. It's a real groupthink atmosphere sometimes and if you're the guy in the room warning about the iceburg they are steaming for at full speed, you pay the price.

[Volucris]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF8D1ORNXPo

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot


Someone call Chris Hansen.

[SeriousStudent]

Actually it's not at all surprising in a public organization. Mid to upper middle level positions are often occupied by people who have no clue about liability issues or the potential privacy/legality/morality issues attached to the use of various bits of technology. Combine a dysfunctional management culture where anyone who doesn't play ball gets steamrolled because the word "no" is never supposed to be spoken uphill, and the end result is exactly this kind of stupidity.

In my time in public organizations I've been told to drop an issue with fire code in a facility because, and I quote, "that's not our problem." It's a facility we run and maintain, but in the opinion of my superiors fire code wasn't something that should stand in the way of their little plan and me bringing it up was unacceptable because that's what the facilities people were supposed to deal with.

Inside public organizations sanity checks often don't happen when somebody with some internal power gets on a snit. It's a real groupthink atmosphere sometimes and if you're the guy in the room warning about the iceburg they are steaming for at full speed, you pay the price.

Oh, believe me, I understand exactly how that works. I've had bosses that loved to look out at the peasants, and say "Unleash the hounds." As well as some that were not smart enough to be able pour urine from a boot, with the instructions printed on the heel.

In Braille.

I guess I am fortunate in that I have a good enough skill set to get up from the table and say "Not only no, but hell no" and find another job. I have done exactly that, when ordered to break the law.

I've also sat in meetings with enough TLA's to know that an innocent look and ignorance will not last very long, when they arrive with warrants and bracelets.

Someone shall fry for this. I just hope it's not the minions. The thing that really, really irritates me the most is that somebody's tax dollars will likely defend these actions.

The phrase "disgruntled former employee" has a special ring to it in IT circles. It's usually synonymous with "big fecking check to take care of someone else's goatscrew."

[Honu]

time to be taken out and beaten then throw in prison

this country is becoming messed up more and more and really hope practices like this are squashed big time

[Honu]

wife just said where is the ACLU on this one ?

[kaiservontexas]

Where is Emmanuel Goldstein when we need him!

[Gramps]

That downright includes and not limited to "Child Pornography", and should be treated as such to ALL involved in this scam.

Any private citizen would be soooo incarcerated it wouldn't be one bit funny, and they should be held to a higher standard that "Joe Citizen".

[Belmont31R]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF8D1ORNXPo





I'd put good money on that pedo seeing kids nude at one time or another. What a sick individual. Especially that sly smug smirk he had on his face while watching kids. Sends creepy red flags up.....

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Here's hoping that the 'educators' prison cell has a 24 hour webcam in it.

I really wonder how well a principal would do in prison. A kiddie peaking principal. I'm thinking most of the malcontents there would like to work out some high school repressed feelings.

[Irish]

Update w/video: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/20/laptop.suit/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+(RSS%3A+Top+Stories)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

(CNN) -- The FBI has opened an investigation into allegations that a Pennsylvania school official remotely monitored a student at home, a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case told CNN on Saturday.

The official, who asked not to be identified, said the FBI became involved in the case after a family filed a lawsuit against the Lower Merion School District, located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The family accused an assistant principal at Harriton High School of watching their son through his laptop's webcam while he was at home and unaware he was being watched. The family also says the school official used a photo taken on a laptop as the basis for disciplining the student.

In a statement issued late Friday, District Superintendent Christopher McGinley rejected the allegations.

"At no time did any high school administrator have the ability or actually access the security-tracking software," he said. "We believe that the administrator at Harriton has been unfairly portrayed and unjustly attacked in connection with her attempts to be supportive of a student and his family. The district never did and never would use such tactics as a basis for disciplinary action."

A school official said it was a mistake not to make families aware of a feature allowing the school to monitor the computer hardware.

The law enforcement official with knowledge of the case told CNN that the FBI will try to determine whether federal wiretap or computer intrusion laws were violated.

But FBI spokesman J.J. Klaver said he could not disclose the existence of an investigation.

In a lawsuit seeking class-action status filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Michael and Holly Robbins of Penn Valley are suing the school district, its board of directors, and the superintendent. They claim that the district unlawfully used its ability to remotely access a webcam on their son's laptop computer, which was issued by the district.

The lawsuit says that on November 11, 2009, the plaintiff's son was told by the assistant principal at Harriton High School that he was caught engaging in "improper behavior" in his home which was captured in an image via the webcam. According to the Robbins' complaint, neither they nor their son were informed of the school's ability to remotely access the webcam. It is unclear what the boy was doing in his room or if any punishment was given out.

Doug Young, spokesman for the Lower Merion School District, told CNN that the district would only remotely access a laptop if it was reported lost, stolen or missing.

If that happened, the district would first have to request access from its technology and security department and receive authorization, he said. Then it would use the built-in security feature to take over the laptop and see whatever was in the webcam's field of vision, potentially allowing them to track down the missing computer.

During the 2009-2010 school year, 42 laptops were reported lost, stolen or missing, and the tracking software was activated by the technology department in each instance, according to McGinley's statement. A total of 18 laptops were found or recovered.

At no time did any high school administrator have the ability or actually access the security-tracking software.

--Christopher McGinley, Lower Merion School District superintendent

McGinley said the parents and students were not explicitly told about this built-in security feature.

"Despite some reports to the contrary, be assured that the security-tracking software has been completely disabled," McGinley said in the statement.

"This feature was limited to taking a still image of the computer user and an image of the desktop in order to help locate the reported missing, lost, or stolen computer (this includes tracking down a loaner computer that, against regulations, might be taken off campus)."

In order to receive the laptop, the family had to sign an "acceptable-use" agreement. In order to take the laptop home, the family would also have to buy insurance for the computer.

In the "acceptable-use" agreement, the families are made aware of the school's ability to "monitor" the hardware, Young said, but it stops short of explicitly explaining the security feature. He said that was a mistake.

Young told CNN that the district is very proud of the laptop program and its ability to close the technology gap between students who have computers at home and those who don't. He acknowledged that the schools have to take a step back to re-evaluate the policies and procedures surrounding the program.

Multiple requests for further comment from the lawyer for the Robbins', Mark Haltzman of Lamm Rubenstone LLC, went unanswered.

[JonnyVain]

Man if I had a kid in that district, and they had been nude in front of that camera it would be all I could do to not go wring someone's neck.



What sane person would ever think this was a good idea? Aside from the creepiness factor its highly stupid.


I'd say I hope they get sued for millions but then it would just be tax payer dollars paying it. Thus they should face jail time. Everyone who authorized this, and the people monitoring the cameras.

Yes, I think jail time is also appropriate.

[JonnyVain]

I'd put good money on that pedo seeing kids nude at one time or another. What a sick individual. Especially that sly smug smirk he had on his face while watching kids. Sends creepy red flags up.....

Is this the same school district? It seems that these kids know of the monitor feature. They duck when he takes a picture.

[Irish]

Is this the same school district? It seems that these kids know of the monitor feature. They duck when he takes a picture.

Different district, similar type of thing.

[Safetyhit]

While I have lived in NJ most of my life, after a divorce I moved to Lower Merion Twp with my mother and sister in 1981. Lived there until I graduated HS in 1987 from the very same Harriton HS.

No real relevance other than to state that it was always an exceptional school system in the wealthiest of Phila suburbs known as the "Main Line". It does not surprise me that the kids had the computers at all considering the property taxes paid and results expected. They all had BMW's and Volvo's at 16, I shit you not.

Worst part is what the yuppie losers did to our football team.

[Sudden]

There's a big difference in watching a kid in a classroom that knows you can and watching a kid at home when he doesn't know it. I had a lot of problems with my teen aged daughter but putting a camera in her room was not a option I considered.